How Long Can My Airsoft Batteries Last?

The simple answer to this question is it depends on the type of your battery and how long you will use it.

A lot also depends on the quality of your battery as there are different brands of batteries sold in the market today.

The more expensive your battery is, the higher its quality will be and the longer will it be able to supply power to your AEG.

However, if you bought a cheap battery, its life will not probably last as long as the more expensive ones.

Do You Want To Win Or Lose?

Most airsoft field matches typically last for more than four to five hours. So, getting a good battery is very critical in enjoying and completing a full match where you want to be on the winning side. But if you have a poor quality battery, your chances of winning will be compromised.

Why Good Quality Batteries Are Important

An AEG is powered electrically. This electric power is supplied by the battery to the airsoft gun’s small electric motor which automatically cocks the gun.

AEG’s come with select fire. That means you can fire the gun automatically as well as semi-automatically.

You can fire single shots or semi-automatically by pulling the trigger once and you can fire automatically using several rounds of BBs if you keep your finger on the trigger. These two kinds of firing have their respective effects on the life of the battery.

As you can see, the longer you pull the trigger, the greater you use battery power. The battery can only supply the required power if its power banks are charged.

Once the charge is fully exhausted, you will not be able to fire a shingle shot. That’s why it is important for you to use high-quality batteries.

According to Pyramydair, cheap AEGs use regular AA batteries. More expensive AEGs, on the other hand, comes with rechargeable batteries with their own rechargers. But batteries don’t come with more expensive AEGs because their owners may have specific battery needs.

Basic Things You Need To Know About Batteries

In order to ascertain the life of your airsoft gun battery, you need to know certain fundamental things about batteries.

Knowing these facts will help you determine how many hours your battery will last during a certain field match.

There are two terms that you need to understand with regards to batteries used in airsoft guns: their mAH rating and their voltage rating. Imagine your battery as a car’s gasoline tank where it can only hold a certain amount of gallons.

The electricity that your airsoft gun uses is similar to the gasoline which your car uses to run its engine. Electricity is used by your AEG at constant rates.

If the mAH rating of your battery is high, you will be able to use your AEG longer before it needs recharging.

However, you can’t just choose higher mAH batteries that you like. As the mAH goes higher, so will the size of the battery.

Your airsoft gun can only accommodate a certain size of the battery. So, you need to choose just the right mAH rating with the right size that will fit your AEG.

AEG batteries are sold in different mAH ratings. You can find batteries ranging from 600 mAH to 2500 mAH.

The most commonly used batteries by gamers in field matches are those ranging from 1100 mAH to 1600 mAH.

The higher the mAH rating, the longer is the battery life.

The battery voltage will determine the rate of flow of its available power. Typically, there are two voltage rates in batteries used by AEGs.

These are the 9.6-volt battery and the 8.4-volt battery. The voltage is similar to the horsepower of an engine.

Therefore, a 9.6-volt battery is stronger than an 8.4 battery. The two voltages can run the same motor of an AEG but the stronger one will run it faster.

Additionally, the stronger one will be able to provide more power if the weaker one cannot carry the load.

Let’s Get Down To The Actual Facts

According to Reddit, 1 BB equals 1 mAh. Therefore, if your AEG is using an 1100 mAH battery, it will be able to power 1,100 shots.

The length of time that the battery will last is immaterial. You can make it last for one day or one week. The determining factor is the number of shots that you fire.

Consequently, if you are using a 1500 mAH, it will last up to 1,500 shots. For a 1600 mAH battery, it will go up to 1,600 shots.

The shortest will be the 600 mAH, which can only last 600 shots.

If you really need to know the number of hours you will be able to use your AEG during a field match, Reddit.com claims that the battery could last from three to four hours if you fire short bursts and if you will carefully choose your shots.

Use This Formula To Calculate The Number Of Hours

Answers Yahoo.com offers a formula to help you compute the number of hours that your AEG battery would last. Here is the formula:

Number of hours = capacity of battery x 1.4 or 1.5

where the capacity of the battery is its mAH rating which is indicated on the battery charger, 1.4 is for NiCad batteries and 1.5 is for NiMH batteries.

How Long Must You Charge Your AEG Battery?

Answers.com has given its recommendations on the number of hours that you can safely charge your AEG battery.

This website says that, generally, you should charge the battery from three to five hours. Make sure that you don’t overcharge it or it can be damaged.

The same website says that if you have a 7.2-volt battery, charging it will take around four to five hours. But if you have an 8.4-volt battery, charging time will take about five hours.

While charging the battery, it is a good practice to check up on it to make sure that it doesn’t get hot.

Here is a short video about charging AEG batteries. It will show you how to properly charge a battery and how long you should charge it.